Monthly Archives: January 2013

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The January 2013 Community Cinema film is Soul Food Junkies with screenings and discussions in both Austin and Round Rock. All screenings will start at 7 pm, are free and open to the public.

Screenings take place January 15th at Austin’s Windsor Park Branch Library (5833 Westminster Dr.) and January 31st at Round Rock Public Library (216 E. Main Street).

Soul Food Junkies
This film delves into the historical and controversial relationship between the African American community and soul food. How does our affinity for soul food and its dietary traditions affect the health of the African American community?

As 2013 begins we are renewing efforts for the KLRU Viewer Council, a way for us to get direct feedback from our community and help guide our programming decisions.

Viewer Council members will be periodically asked to answer short online surveys, to participate in individual interviews or participate in focus groups. Your participation is completely up to you – and you can opt out of the Viewer Council at any time. Another benefit to the program is you’ll receive a summary of responses from the survey and if possible, we’ll explain how KLRU will use the data.

As a reminder, we will never share your email or personal information with others. As with any research participation, your answers to these surveys will be completely confidential. We adhere to the highest standards of ethics in research.

The first survey of the year is focused on news and public affairs programming and, specifically, on how KLRU should respond to the tragic event in Newtown, CT.

On January 1, 2014 a new GED test will take effect. People who have already started the GED process,must pass all five segments before January 1, 2014 or will have to start all segments over. Those thinking about taking the GED soon, must start now in order to complete all tests before January 1, 2014.

In an effort to assist our community with this process, KLRU will air GED Connections starting January 7th. Engaging documentary-style videos introduce content and give learners a chance to hear from experts in various fields and advance toward their GED with programs covering each test area. Students hear and see how the skills they are learning for the GED exam relate to work, home and community life. GED Connections will air on KLRU at 5:30 am Monday to Friday and on KLRU Q 2:30 pm Monday to Friday.

If you need more assistance than the television show can provide there are several options in the KLRU viewing area.

Austin Community College’s Adult Education Division provides a variety of services and programs to help adult learners meet their education and career goals. Adult Education offers GED preparation, English as a Second Language classes, workforce certification programs, courses to ease the transition to college, and more. For more information, visit austincc.edu/abe or call (512) 223.5300

Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas’ Adult Education Program provides a wide array of adult education services across a ten county area surrounding Austin. These services include classes for GED preparation, English as a second language, English Literacy and Civics, college and workforce readiness, and basic skills improvement. For more information, visit communityaction.com or call (512) 392-1161 extension 334

Are you eagerly anticipating the return of DOWNTON ABBEY? Be sure to check out the third season of the turn-of-the century drama with all new episodes, beginning January 6th on KLRU-TV at 8pm!

The Great War is over and the long-awaited engagement of Lady Mary and Matthew is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate. Shirley MacLaine joins the much-loved cast, which includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Penelope Wilton and many others. “No family is ever what it seems from the outside,” observes Smith’s shrewd character.

The first Monday of the month KLRU Q’s 11pm music block features Hardly Sound. The documentary series focuses on Texas underground music and artists but goes beyond the recording studio to tell the story of the band members with insight into the creative process.

For January:
Step into the world of pioneering roots musician Ralph White. Watch to see what dogs, yuppies, love, and Charles Whitman have in common with White and his friends.

It may be more famous now than any time in its 1,300-year history as the setting of “Downton Abbey,” but England’s Highclere Castle has its own stories to tell on Secrets of Highclere Castle at 7 pm Sunday

Masterpiece Classic at 8 pm Sunday and 8 pm Saturday presents the long-awaited premiere of Downton Abbey, Series III. The Great War is over and the long-awaited engagement of Lady Mary and Matthew is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate.

POV at 9 pm Monday presents “Reportero”, a film that follows a veteran reporter and his colleagues at Zeta, a Tijuana-based independent newsweekly, as they stubbornly ply their trade in one of the deadliest places in the world for members of the media.

Something Ventured at 10 pm Monday tells the story of the creation of an industry that went on to become the single greatest engine of innovation and economic growth in the 20th century.

History Detectives at 7 pm Tuesday tells four stories of our nation’s beginnings, ranging from analyzing the simple bill of sale for a 17-year old “negro girl” to figuring out what role a handwritten score played in making “The Star Spangled Banner” our national anthem.

Part one of Abolitionists: American Experience at 8 pm Tuesday explores the shared beliefs about slavery that brought together prolific figures like Fredrick Douglass, Angelina Grimke, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Frontline at 9 pm Tuesday examines the legacy of Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools who attempted to fix a broken school system during her tumultuous three-year tenure.

Nature at 7 pm Wednesday explores Cuba’s varied landscape, which in the heart of the Caribbean and its longstanding place at the center of Cold War politics have all combined to preserve some of the richest and most unusual natural environments of the hemisphere, in “Cuba: The Accidental Eden”.

NOVA at 8 pm Wednesday attempts to decode recent scientific analysis stating that modern humans had interbred with Neanderthals in “Decoding Neanderthals.”

Life on Fire at 9 pm Wednesday explores the career of volcanologists, whose job it is to use their tools and knowledge to try to protect those who live beneath the Earth’s fire, in “Volcano Doctors.”

Jack White performs tracks from his debut solo album Blunderbuss on Austin City Limits at 10 pm Wednesday and Friday.

Author David Maraniss discusses his career and newest book on Overheard with Evan Smith 7 pm Thursday.

On Mind of a Chef at 8 pm Thursday, David Chang hangs out with one of his best friends, Rene Redzepi – who happens to be the world’s top chef.

Chet heads to Bay Area Houston to visit NASA on The Daytripper at 8:30 pm Thursday.

Barnes Collection at 9 pm Friday uses the relocation and renaissance of the Barnes Foundation as a vehicle for telling the story of the quirky, quarrelsome, question mark of a man, Dr. Albert C. Barnes and his astounding art collection.

Find out how to grow your own fruit trees and berries on Central Texas Gardener at noon Saturday.

Nature “Cuba: The Accidental Eden” at 7 pm
This small island’s varied landscape, its location in the heart of the Caribbean and its longstanding place at the center of Cold War politics have all combined to preserve some of the richest and most unusual natural environments of the hemisphere. For decades, Cuba’s wild landscapes lay untouched while its Caribbean neighbors poisoned or paved over their ecological riches. Now, Cuba’s priceless treasures are about to face an onslaught. Tourism is already on the rise and most experts predict tourism will double once the U.S. trade embargo ends. What will happen to Cuba’s stunning biodiversity – an island filled with amphibians, reptiles and the most biologically diverse freshwater fish in the region?

NOVA “Decoding Neanderthals” at 8 pm
Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans –people physically identical to us today — left their African homeland and entered Europe, then a bleak and inhospitable continent in the grip of the Ice Age. But when they arrived, they were not alone: the stocky, powerfully built Neanderthals had already been living there for hundred of thousands of years. So what happened when the first modern humans encountered the Neanderthals? Did we make love or war? That question has tantalized generations of scholars and seized the popular imagination. Then, in 2010, a team led by geneticist Svante Paabo announced stunning news. Not only had they reconstructed much of the Neanderthal genome — an extraordinary technical feat that would have seemed impossible only a decade ago — but their analysis showed that “we” modern humans had interbred with Neanderthals, leaving a small but consistent signature of Neanderthal genes behind in everyone outside Africa today.

Life On Fire “Volcano Doctors” at 9 pm
Whether the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Chile, Italy or Iceland, each of these countries is home to active volcanoes that are a threat to the populations settled at their feet. Every day, lava, ash, gas, bombs and avalanches are likely to slide down the gaping mouths of the rock giants. To avoid disasters, volcanologists are asked to anticipate and warn. They are asked to be prophets and to know how to analyze the volcanoes’ slightest tremors. Around the world, these volcano doctors use their tools and knowledge to try to protect those who live beneath the Earth’s fire.

Ring in the new year with professional game developers, from five of the most prominent 2012 video games made in Austin! Learn about some great locally-made game projects from their creators. Presented by International Game Developers Association-Austin and moderated by chapter chair Jennifer Bullard.

Special thanks to Batch 19 for providing their Pre-Prohibition Style Lager. The recipe dates back to before prohibition (1919-hense Batch ’19’). It was discovered in the basement of the brewery that has been around since 1878. The beer is made with two rare types of hops — Hersbrucker is a German style hop that is very grassy and Strisslespalt is a hop that has a flavor similar to black currant and is slightly sweeter.

Something Ventured airing Monday, Jan. 7, at 10 pm, explores the creation of an industry that went on to become the single greatest engine of innovation and economic growth in the 20th century. The story is told by the venture capitalists who dared to make it happen, and includes interviews with a number of the country’s finest entrepreneurs, who share how they worked with these risk takers to grow some of the world’s most successful companies. Beginning in the late 1950s, visionary high rollers fostered a one-of-a-kind business culture that encouraged extraordinary risk and made possible unprecedented rewards. They laid the groundwork for America’s start-up economy, providing not just the capital but the guidance to allow seedling companies to reach their full potential. Our lives would be dramatically different without the contributions they made to the creation of computers, the Internet and life-saving drugs.

Replete with colorful characters, humorous one-liners and sage business advice, Something Ventured gives viewers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the origins of Silicon Valley. Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, and executive-produced by Paul Holland and Molly Davis, Something Ventured has screened at numerous film festivals including South by Southwest, San Francisco International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Bergen International Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival. It also won “Best Documentary” at the Santa Catalina Film Festival.

As your PBS station, it is KLRU’s mission to bring people together around important issues. KLRU does this through various educational and outreach initiatives. Our newest effort is a national collaboration called Next Avenue that features resources and an online discussion of issues facing those 50+. As part of that project we are also airing, Growing Bolder Sundays at 10:30 am on KLRU. Growing Bolder delivers empowering stories that inspire audiences of all ages to believe that it’s never too late to achieve their dreams. It features stories of masters athletes, cancer survivors, musicians, health experts, entrepreneurs and more.

Upcoming episodes:

1/6: “Discover Your Future”
Discovery of a Lifetime – Joanie Schirm always knew there was more to her family history than what she had learned from her parents. When they passed away, she made a remarkable discovery in an old desk. It was a discovery that sent her on the adventure of a lifetime revealing a world of survival, loss and suffering during World War II. A 5-Minute Masterpiece – Brian Olsen is as much a work of art as his pop culture portraits. He’s a blur of brushes, hands, color and energy. There’s only been one other like him. But his mentor’s untimely death sent Brian on a profound journey to inspire others to find outlets for creativity and self-expression. Welcome, Wendy Chioji – A television anchor, breast cancer survivor and competitive athlete, Wendy Chioji has traveled the world and collected stories from people of all walks of life. As she joins the Growing Bolder team, we take a look at what makes Wendy such a Growing Bolder story herself!

1/13: “Famous Footsteps”
Paul and McCartney and Me – A lot of people love the Beatles, but how many have ever performed as one? Or ever recorded at Abbey Road Studios? Or toured with the cast of Beatlemania. Perhaps the only person in the world who has done it all, is John Babcock! It’s a love affair that began at age five when he was one of the millions who first saw the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan Show. Six Bullets to the Chest – James O’Connor was not standing at the proverbial crossroads. He was lying there. On a gurney. With six bullets in his chest. On what could have been his deathbed, James was overcome with a single thought, “We’re born to be alive, so we should live.” And so he did. The Boomer Fountain of Youth – Remember when Biketoberfest was for the young and wild? It’s still pretty wild, but the average age will surprise you. More than 200,000 make the annual ride to Daytona Beach, Florida. They come to see the bikes, but often discover the bikers are far more interesting! Wearing a Dream for All to See – Her life was fine the way it was, except for one thing — she had long dreamed of doing something else. So, Diane Shelton gathered up the courage and took a huge chance, never realizing that by creating a whole new cultural clothing business she’d also be creating a new passion for life!

1/20: “Living in Harmony”
Creating a Life of Exquisite Harmony – Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson’s artwork is bright, cheerful, and whimsical, much like the artist herself. It consists of pieces of paper ripped apart and then reassembled into something more beautiful and more profound. Songs of a Lifetime – His journey has been a fascinating trip through an amazing era of music. Bob Rafkin was one of the musicians drawn to the Greenwich Village scene in the ’60s. He’s spent his career helping record the music of others, but after illness forced him to face his own mortality he’s found a passion for creating music of his own. Fantasy, Fiction and Fun! – Science fiction is not only alive and well, thanks to some out of this world gatherings and conventions, it’s getting bigger all the time. Put on your Vulcan ears and your Ewok costume and come with us to FX International, a sci-fi show that has it all! Little Horses, Big Hearts – Imagine if a horse could walk right in to a hospice center, a children’s hospital or a rehab facility. They can when they’re less than 30-inches tall! Watch as the Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses provide rare moments of relief and happiness for those facing challenges.

1/27: “Unforgettable and Inspirational”
The Mushroom Man – Many people are interested in photography. Some specialize in portraits, others landscapes. Taylor Lockwood specializes in — are you ready for this? — mushrooms! His hope is once you see his work you’ll not only understand why, but that you’ll see fungi in a whole new light. Lucky’s “Jaws” Swim – Da-Dum. Da-da-Da-Dum. In the summer of 1975, the movie “JAWS” terrorized nearly everyone who saw it. Dr. Lucky Meisenheimer is finally ready to conquer his fear. And he wants company. Da-Dum. Da-da-Da-Dum. Silver Stars – Are you ready to move your body? Meet the Orlando Magic Silver Stars, a group of 50+ dancers who shake their things in front of huge NBA crowds. Find out why they do it and how they got up the courage to shine! Cycling Star – Marty Jemison is an internationally-known cyclist who has competed at not one but two Tour de France events. These days, he’s paying it forward by taking everyone from weekend enthusiasts and potential champions under his wing. Hit the road with the cycling star.